For the life of me, I can’t understand why more people don’t blog when it can produce such great rewards.Blogging consistently once a week or even every other week will increase the traffic to your website. And, sharing useful information with your visitors will help you build relationships which eventually result in referrals and business. Readers can’t build a genuine connection with you if you’re a random blogger who rarely sends anything out to your list
Have you ever received an email newsletter from someone you don’t know, and you can’t recall ever having given your permission for them to email you? That’s most likely because they are a random blogger. You probably signed up for a free offer on their website, got the free offer and then forgot all about that person since they didn’t send out any other messages to you.
By the time they finally decided to send an email, you’re likely to unsubscribe and not only that; there’s a good chance that you’ll mark their random email as spam. It’s a shame they lost the opportunity to build a connection with you.
I am an evangelist on the benefits of blogging. Once-a-week for the past nine years, I’ve been writing and sending out a blog post to my list which now has over 4,500 people. I credit my consistent blogging effort for the traffic we get on the New Tricks site and for helping me creating long-term, virtual relationships which have resulted in a steady stream of referrals and clients.
It wasn’t always that way. I remember my first year in business. Anything I happened to write about on my blog would automatically go out to all of my 33 subscribers. One day, I happened to notice that someone I respected unsubscribed. I went to see what I had sent out, and I didn’t blame the person for unsubscribing. It was nothing they would have found the slightest bit interesting.
The fact was, I didn’t have my focus on my readers. That day, I realized what a privilege it was to get invited into someone’s inbox, and I decided to take that privilege seriously and send them out quality content they would find helpful. That was the beginning of my once a week habit, and it has served me well.
If you’re thinking about getting serious about your blogging but don’t know what to write about, I’ve put together seven blog post content categories with lots of ideas in each, to get you started.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
- Think about the problems your ideal client has. If one person has that issue, most of them will. What solution can you offer?
- What products or applications do you find wildly helpful to your business or your client?
- Do a post about the product and how it can make a difference to the client’s business.
- If there are multiple programs or applications relevant to your niche, do a comparison post between all of the options that will help people make the decision that’s best for them.
- Provide a list of resources your clients will find wildly helpful.
- Is there a process in your client’s business that you can create a checklist to help them do a good job?
- What blogs do you read in your industry?
- Create and share a list with links to them and what you like about each.
- What have you learned over the years in your business that may help your clients get to the next level?
WHAT’S IN THE NEWS?
- What are the cutting-edge issues in your industry and what is your opinion of them?
- Have you seen a Tweet or a question in a LinkedIn Forum to which you can offer a more in-depth?
- Has anything happened in the media recently that you can link to a lesson helpful to your clients?
- What holidays are coming up? Write a post that relates to the theme.
- CURATION Share a roundup each week with the three best blog posts of the week.
- Share helpful infographics with your audience.
- Create an infographic yourself complete with statistics.
- Interview someone in your field and write about it.
- Create a Top Influencers in your industry list.
GO OUT ON A LIMB
- What hot buttons are going on in your industry that you would like to write about? Share your take on the subject.
- Have you had an experience with a client or colleague that you feel strongly about and can share the lesson learned?
- Take a topic and share the Truth versus Fiction about it.
- What gets you frustrated about your job and what you do about it?
- Share how you deal with some tricky business situation.
- Is there a debate about a topic in your industry that you have strong feelings about one way or the other?
- Put your ideas out there.
GET PERSONAL
- Share the story of how you got to where you are.
- What have been the pivotal decisions in your life?
- What are your productivity secrets?
- What do you do in your free time?
- Which podcasts are your favorites?
- How do you recharge from stressful work days?
- How do you handle a particularly difficult situation?
- Share a picture of your office, your pet, your garden.
- What are your hobbies?
- What are five things your clients need to know about you?
TOOT YOUR HORN
- Why did you get started in your business and how does that make a difference in your business?
- Have you had any tough times in your business that you have come back from by taking a risk to do something different?
- How does your company differ from most of your competitors?
- How do your services differ from the services of others in your industry?
- Why is that important? Share some company news that you’re proud of.
- Where are you speaking and on what topics?
- Show how you’re business stays relevant.
- Share a customer service experience that shows the kind of business you are.
- Showcase a client and the great work they are doing with you.
GET CREATIVE
- Create favorite quotes or graphics, sharing what each means to you.
- Share a funny video or story about your industry.
- Have a contest.
- Make a video.
- Conduct a survey.
- Create a quiz.
- Schedule a photo shoot and share some fun pics.
- Share a behind-the-scenes peek at how you run your business.
- Create a challenge for the people on your list to do together.
- Who are your heroes and why?
Blogging on a regular basis can be challenging, but the rewards are many. I hope these ideas will be a springboard for you to make a list of blog topics your readers will enjoy. Get busy writing the posts, publish them on a regular basis, and in no time; you’ll be getting more traffic to your website and that steady stream of clients you’ve been wanting!
Download the PDF:
Blog Post Idea Generator
